It went so well. Thank you to everyone for your help moving, cleaning and baby-sitting. I don’t know how we would have done it without the support from both families. We can’t thank you all enough for your service. Huge, huge THANK YOU to Mom and Dad. Mom came with her arsenal of cleaners and detergents and worked herself into the ground, several times. Dad was up to his elbows in our plumbing while replacing faucets and toilets. Jared and Dad earned frequent driver points for their 27 trips to Lowe’s and Dad learned first-hand how to use the employee ladder. Thank you so much to Dad, Cory and Lynn for cleaning out our dusty, dirty storage shed. Thank you Rachael, for scrubbing my bathrooms. That’s unconditional love! Thank you Lynn for the use of your truck and trailer for helping move so much of our stuff. Thank you Nikki for keeping me sane while the guys used your vehicle. Thank you Corri, Richard, Dad, Mom and Heather for being so willing to help us move and for coming to visit us. And thank you, thank you Mom and Heather for helping me clean our apartment. The landlord took one look and said, “I’ll mail you your deposit.” Thank you so much everyone. We love you!

Here’s how Dallin helped move. He picked what he wanted out of each box and either ate it or played with it. What a good helper!

Memorial Day came with mixed feelings for our little family. We were supposed to have been in Idaho playing with the Farleys, but because of illness, injury and teething, we found ourselves at home instead. Porter was so disappointed because we had promised to take him bowling in Idaho. So when Uncle Lynn invited us to go bowling with his family, we jumped at the chance. Porter was surprised at how heavy the balls were, but did a great job with a bowling stance most comparable to a shot-putter. He would hold the ball in both hands then run full-speed towards the line. At the last possible second, he would leap into the air and heave the monstrous 6-pounder down the lane. The ball would land with a deafening crash and roll steadily toward his target. He bowled above 90 both games and even got a couple of spares. Good job Porter!

 

We have an incredible opportunity to rent a house in our neighborhood and we are so excited. It’s an older home with four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a family room, living room and dining room. I’m not even sure what to do with that much space. I have two pantries in the kitchen and several closets throughout the house, including a linen clost. That might not sound very spectacular, but it’s palatial for us. We have never had that much room all to ourselves. The backyard is gorgeous! We’ll have to all get together for barbecues. The boys are thrilled, mostly about all the boxes that showed up in our apartment. Tons of toys, and they loves the boxes. Funny kids.

Our boys are as different as two boys can be. They have different personalities, attitudes, interests, skin tones, hair colors, and eyes! As their mother, I’m allowed to gush about my children and I must say that I love their eyes. Porter’s are a deep hazel with brown and green streaks. Dallin’s are a brillant blue with a dark rim. Both of them have eyes that will melt hearts someday. But for now – they are all mine.

The boys went on the fishing trip of the season a while ago and Porter didn’t let the big one get away. He was so excited to come home with some slimy success. I loved the pictures Jared took at the pond. Notice what Porter does while he fishes. That’s our boy.

I love to watch Porter read. He reminds me a lot of myself. He sprawls anywhere he can find a spot and his brow furrows in concentration as his lips move silently with the words. He is oblivious to the world. Completely caught up in the story. He randomly bursts into laughter and says, “Oh man. That’s funny.” When I call him for dinner or bed, he begs for a few more minutes. “I’m almost done with this chapter, Mom. Please!”  I usually agree. Mostly because it makes me sublimely happy that he appreciates a good book as much as I do.

 

ANGEL . . .

 

 

 

OR DEVIL?

 

 

Every time we have dinner at the in-laws, the kids come up with a master plan to entertain us. Sometimes it’s a Bionicle fort in the basement that you have to deposit a quarter to enter, and a dollar to leave. Other times, it’s a play about how parents boss kids around all the time. This time, it was a band. They emerged from downstairs with an announcement telling us all to sit down because the concert was about to start. Porter sang a song they had written for all the moms while the cousins played instruments. Here are the lyrics (as written) to their chart-topping hit song:

Tidle: my mother rocks

I love my mom she rocks the house

She takes the garbage out

And she loves to dance

She fills my dad with romance

She teaches the whowl school thru

And she always says I love you

She is so kind

And she’s smart in the mind

She is cool

She likes a renool

She’s as prettey as the sky so blue

And I say to my mom I love you

We dedicate this song to our mothers

 

They announced themselves as the Farley-Chapple band. Someone suggested they call themselves the Charleys, to combine their names. Jared promptly suggested they call themselves the Farples.  I like it. It has a nice ring to it.

Every Saturday we disappear for a few hours. We pack up the boys and head to Doxey Elementary to watch Porter play soccer. He has been playing since he was four years old. They played three-on-three back then. Their shorts looked like dresses and their socks went up to their hips. They stood around in a group and kicked, mostly at each other, rarely at the ball. Once in a while, someone would land a lucky kick and the ball would move outside the huddle. It usually took several seconds for them to realize that the ball had vanished from their midst. When a player finally spotted it, the entire huddle moved to the ball and the kicking would commence. Goals were rare, but they had a blast. Now, three years later, the games move at a much quicker pace. They play five-on-five and goals are more common, but fought for much harder. Most of them spend a lot of time of the ground, including Porter. And even though the moms gasp at the sight of their toppled son, the boys seem to thrive on the spills. After a really good fall, they proudly display the grass stains and mud streaks on their white soccer socks and high-five each other. Then the moms breathe a little sigh of relief and the cheerring resumes.

I love watching soccer. I love watching Porter play soccer. It has been amazing to see him progress a player; from a White Tiger, to a Blue Shark, to a Blue Tiger. He is faster on his feet, his reflexes are sharper, and his foot-eye coordination is much improved – most days. Then there are the days that he’s just not into the game and the ball rolls right past his feet while he does a dance in the backfield. I still love to watch him play, even on those days. Every now and then, he’s the star of the game and he kicks three-goals in one quarter, or he kicks the only goal of the game in the middle of a snowstorm. However the day shapes up, we always have a good time. I love soccer season. GO BLUE TIGERS!